


Under A Summer Sky

by NOLAlove



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Summer Camp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-06
Updated: 2014-05-26
Packaged: 2017-12-10 13:01:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/786313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NOLAlove/pseuds/NOLAlove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two boys spend a summer halfway around the world, shoved into a full time job as a camp counselor for families. Niall Horan couldn't be more excited to teach anyone who wanted to learn how to play guitar. Zayn didn't want to be there, but it was for his family and for his future. Between long hours under the hot sun and relaxed nights under the stars, these two boys find something else in their summer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I've Never Been To Summer Camp

**Author's Note:**

> Way to many parentheses, paragraphs, commas, and run-on sentences (which goes with commas?) but enjoy nevertheless...

“Mum! Remember how _months_ ago I told you I was going to be a camp counselor in America for the summer because then I'll be out of your hair and I can make some money before Uni while doing what I want to do and I'll actually have something to do in the summer along with a real job playing guitar?” Niall called through the house to his mother as he bounded down the stairs.

“Yes?” Maura said questioningly. She was used to her nineteen year old son being excited about things (his sentences became longer when that happened), but there was something different in his voice.

“The director of Montecito Family Camp just called, I've been hired for this summer!” He exclaimed, waving his hands slightly in excitement.

“Oh Niall, that's wonderful!” Maura hugged Niall, having to stand on her toes, wondering when her son became so independent; so grown up, so tall! Niall on the other hand was simply surprised that someone wanted to hire a nineteen year old from Ireland to teach kids to play guitar the whole summer. Maybe it was the accent.....

Two months later Niall walked into Dublin airport carrying a much too heavy duffel bag and a guitar case. After endless security Niall sat on his plane looking out at the ocean below him. “I've never been to summer camp.” he sighed, closing his eyes. He had been so frantic last night with last minute packing and his family's teary goodbyes that he had gotten less than an hour of sleep. He only woke when his plane touched down in Los Angeles, California

\---------------------

“Zayn, I know you want to be an artist, sweetheart, and I only want you to be what you want to be. I'd lock you up before letting you work a day job in an office. You know that right?” Tricia looked down at her son as he nodded vaguely to her words. She hated herself for what she had to do, but she saw no alternative, besides losing the house. “I found a summer camp in America that needs counselors for small children. They accepted your application and you have a phone interview in a couple of days. It pays well Zayn, and you've always said that you wanted to go to America, right? Zayn?”

To his credit, Zayn did not get angry, nor did he begin to cry. He was able to see the predicament from his mother's perspective, but to be honest, he would have much rather worked at the cafe down the street the whole summer. Going to America made him feel as if he was being shipped off to another country simply because he wasn't worth the trouble. That didn't stop him from saying, “Alright Mom, I'll give it a go, but who will take care of the girls?” Nor did it stop him from being a perfect gentleman during his phone interview, receiving a job offer the next day. He was doing this for his family, for his art.

Apparently, their neighbor was willing to babysit for next to nothing when needed and everything was arranged so Zayn packed up his bags in the middle of May, took the bus to the airport after an emotional goodbye and promises to call every other week (long distance was expensive) and to email every other day, and set off for sunny California.

\---------------------

A nine hour flight, then another one hour flight to Fresno, and then an hour long bus ride where the only sounds to be heard were snores and the occasional honk brought a bus full of counselors from around the world to Montecito Family Camp. One by one the counselors roused themselves to look around them in wonder. Montecito offered to them a traditional family summer camp nestled in Sequoia National Park, complete with a lake, lodge, pool, and of course, a beautiful view. Most of the counselors met the realization that this small paradise would be their home for the next four months with bright smiles stretched across faces drawn with fatigue.

“Welcome everyone!” said a man, wearing what could only be the counselor uniform and an enthusiastic smile. Zayn blinked his eyes wearily, _How was it only five o'clock?! Damn time zones,_ while the boy who had sat behind him on the bus seemed to be vibrating with excitement, or was it nerves?

“My name is Liam, I am the camp director here,” continued Liam, who looked far too young to be a camp director, “Feel free to ask me any questions about well, anything. But first, let's get everyone to their cabins and some food in you. We'll start the real orientation tomorrow.” And with that, Liam walked to the opposite side of the camp. It was only a five minute walk at most but to the jet-lagged counselors it seemed like miles. They slowly divided into the separate groups for the cabins, setting their belongings on the beds not already occupied by other counselors and dragging themselves back out. Liam was smiling again, “At dinner you'll meet your American counterparts and I can imagine that most of you will simply go to bed after that. We meet at eight tomorrow morning, in front of the main lodge. Everyone is really excited for you to be here and welcome once again!”

The next three weeks were filled with various sorts of training from emergency scenarios to “what to do if a kid pees himself”. There were welcome songs to memorize and luckily not very many rules, but the ones they did have were important. Everyone began to get to know each other around the campfire, staying up late partying while it was still allowed. (To be honest, Liam looked the other way at any time, as long as you weren't too hungover).

Everyone knew everyone by the end of the first week and friendships formed quickly. Niall became partners in crime with another counselor from the UK, Louis, who was in charge of Arts and Crafts. The first thing they did together was prank Liam by replacing his shampoo with tie dye, causing his hands and hair to be dark blue for the rest of the week. This began a prank war that only ended when Niall and Louis somehow woke up on the floating dock in the middle of the lake, having to swim in the cold morning water while everyone laughed from the shore. It's still a mystery as to how Liam pulled that one off. Niall could always be found trying to learn the drums from another counselor or being lectured by the archery instructor on the “proper” way to shoot, even though he did it his way every time anyways, claiming the “Irish theory” worked on everything. (The Irish Theory in this case is that whatever the Irishman says is right) He was quickly one of everyone's favorites, fitting in with the carefree camp atmosphere with ease.

Zayn on the other hand found himself overwhelmed with his responsibilities. Every week he would have to take care of around ten children aged anywhere between three and six and then every night he would have to be available to babysit those same kids. On top of that, after asking Liam for any extra jobs available, Zayn was now a kitchen aid, helping make and serve meals to counselors and campers alike. He spent his time working and absorbing his training instead of making friends, but the others rarely noticed, simply because they almost never saw him.

Before anyone knew it, families were coming the next day and first years were getting nervous while the veterans did nothing to help, unless being thrown in the lake because it was “tradition” counted. (Liam did nothing but shake his head at this) Last minute cleaning was done and Liam handed out thick packets containing reminders for absolutely everything. Louis shredded his and _might_ have dumped it on Liam in the middle of dinner, calling it confetti. Liam just laughed and handed Louis a broom.

Niall could barely sleep that night. He could hear Louis snoring softly from across the room and every once and awhile he felt Josh, the hiking guide, shift in his sleep in the bunk above him, but no matter how often Niall closed his eyes, they would simply open two minutes later. Giving up, he rose from his bed, pulled on a shirt and walked out of the cramped cabin.

Zayn sat on the dock, looking at the full moon above him. He had hoped to see some stars but the moon's light blocked out many of them. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't homesick, but his days had been so busy it only really caught up with him at night, causing his late night walks to the lake, but it seemed as if he wasn't alone tonight. Footsteps echoed in the night air and Zayn sat up, looking around and not really wanting to talk to someone right now.

Niall looked out at the tan boy sitting on the dock from the shore. He knew Zayn's name and that he was English but that was where his knowledge ended. Zayn, on the other hand knew a lot about the blonde Irishman. Niall was a very open (and loud) young man, so everyone knew him and liked him, not to mention that he brought his guitar to simply _every_ campfire, willing to play any top 40 song for the girls to try and sing (most of the girls directed the love songs to Niall unbeknownst to him.)

“Mind if I sit?” Niall asked right as Zayn moved over to make room. “Thanks. Can't sleep?”

Zayn simply shook his head and Niall fell silent. They didn't say anything but Zayn felt his homesickness fade slightly and Niall began to calm down. Both boys attributed the calm to the soothing night and soon went their respective ways with a quiet “goodnight”. Both boys didn't have a chance for even a fleeting thought with the chaos the next day either, but that later that night they both had trouble falling asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

"Zayn! Zayn! Look at my butterfly!"

"No! Look at the car I drew Zayn!"

"Is this house good Zayn? It's my daddy's house!"

Zayn spun around in multiple circles before stopping and taking a deep breath. The children's voices continued around him but he needed to take a moment. He had been on his feet since 5 that morning working in the kitchen and then preparing the art room for the younger kids today. Even though it was only Wednesday, Zayn felt himself fading fast. Babysitting until 10 or 11 each night and waking up early to work in the kitchen allowed only a few hours of sleep every night. Zayn took one more breath, silently cursed the kid's counselor that "was just going to step our really quick and get some coffee" half an hour ago, and began to walk around the room again.

He wasn't going to lie though, he truly enjoyed working with the kids. They were all so enthusiastic about simply coming in and throwing some color on a paper. Yes, finger painting might have been a bad idea on his first day, but he's learned since then. Today, the 5 to 8 year olds were working with crayons and colored pencils. So Zayn did not have to try very hard to put a smile on his face and tell little Meredith that her mom would love the card she made her or tell Nathan that his car looked like it could go 1000 miles an hour (though he did almost say kilometers).

Zayn turns around at the sound of the bell on the door and is surprised at the sight of Niall coming through the door. He hadn't seen the blonde boy since Sunday night on the dock, but he'd also been insanely busy which tended to prevent him from seeing anyone.

"Hey mate, do you have anything that could get superglue off?" Niall said sheepishly, walking over to Zayn. "I might or might not have sequins all over my bed."

Zayn couldn'd help but laugh while Niall just shrugged at his incredulous expression and mumbled that sounded suspiciously like "Louis."

"Sit over there, I'll take care of you when I'm done with these guys," said Zayn, motioning to the counter while beginning to clean up and usher the children towards their counselor who had finally decided to show up. Zayn shut the door behind the last little girl who had insisted on hugging Zayn and giving him a picture of the lake. Zayn promised her that he would hang it up in his room(he did, she reminded him of his sisters) and gave her a hug goodbye. Turning around he sighed at the mess that was the art room. _How did twelve kids make this much of a mess in only an hour?_

"You're really good with them. They practically worship you."

Zayn started, turning towards the voice quickly, having completely forgotten about the other boy in the chaos of trying to get everyone out of the room to lunch. It didn't help that he wasn't used to company in general either. "Right, thanks. Let me just clean this up and I'll try to help you with that problem you had. Superglue was it?" Niall nodded while Zayn began collecting various writing utensils from around the room, dumping them into their respective. He didn't even notice Niall stacking up spare paper until the room was clean in half the normal amount of time. Niall didn't say a word, just smiled again.

"Wow, thanks! Ok, so do you want me to just igve you something for that superglue or can I ask what happened?

Niall smirked while putting away the last of the paper. "Well I might have filled the cabin with cups half full of water trapping Josh and Louis in their beds this morning....and then I found Liam's megaphone."

"I don't know if I should help you out then mate, they could easily get me next. And I don't know if I completely sympathize with you. Found it!" Zayn laughed while rummaging around in a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of nail polish remover. "This is mostly acetone, so it should get the super glue off pretty quick but be careful, you don't want to spill it or anything."

"Thank you so much! I'll bring it back once my bed is no longer pink and sparkly and don't you worry about Louis and Josh, I'll take care of them!" Niall grabbed the bottle and made his way to the door but he stopped and turned before leaving. "You are really good with them Zayn. All the kids love you, and not just the teenage girls who think you're cute and like your accent. They like mine better anyways." Niall winked and jogged off to the counselor cabins, leaving Zayn wondering why he was blushing as much as he was. He shook his head, locked the door to the art room and made his way to the dining hall.

\---------------------

Niall looked over the valley spread before him. He smiled slightly to himself, enjoying the view. He had brought some of the older kids on a hike up to Baldy Peak to watch the sunset. All of the kids were at Montecito with their parents but he knew that they did not want to spend their last dinner with their parents asking questions about their day. They would want to spend it with their new (or old seeing as many campers returned) friends, making some last memories.

“Oi! Who wants a group picture with their favorite Irishman?! Harry come take a picture” Niall called to the small group spread around the peak. The sun was setting perfectly in the background, painting the sky in pink and orange and the trees were beginning to blend into one mass of dark green with individuals only distinguishable on the horizon. Niall glanced back one more time, committing the first sunset he had seen on the peak to memory

The group gathered around and Harry, the archery instructor at Montecito who had been coming to camp since he was ten, took photos of the group and the sunset and just about everything else. Everyone was laughing and having a good time, pestering Niall about his accent and throwing small stones off the peak. Niall broke out some chips from his backpack and their goodbye party began.

In the middle of an intense game of hide and seek, which was beginning to get dangerous with the receding light, Niall noticed a lone figure a little farther down the trail. Curious, Niall signaled to Harry to watch the kids for a bit and walked the short distance down to the stranger.

“Zayn?”

The figure jumped up, obviously startled. A book flew out of his hands and he dove after it, almost losing his footing on the broken rock. “Zayn! Easy there, it’s just me, Niall.” Niall said, softer, trying to get the man to calm down, but Zayn wasn’t paying attention to Niall. He looked in dismay at the one sheet of paper that was flying away.

Niall followed his gaze and frowned. He didn’t know what was on the paper, but the look on Zayn’s face said it was important. Before he knew what he was doing, Niall jumped down to a lower rock and reached out precariously, snatching the sheet out of the air and quickly leaning back against the rock letting out a rush of air. _What the hell did he just do?!_

Zayn seemed to have the same idea because before he reached down and helped Niall back up to more stable ground he had gasped a little, then just stared, then he might have yelled a little about how Niall could have gotten killed.

When they had both caught their breath and were leaning against a tree, Niall prodded Zayn with a stick from the ground, “So can I see it? Whatever it is that I just risked my life for.”

After some mumbling about how he wouldn’t have had to risk his life if he hadn’t made Zayn fear for his (to which Niall just smirked), Zayn showed Niall the now crumpled paper. Niall just stared with his mouth open slightly while Zayn slowly began to panic more and more. “What, what’s wrong? You know I didn’t ask you to jump off a cliff for it right? That was all you. I know it isn’t worth anything at all really.”

Niall slapped Zayn in the arm and started laughing. It was deep and throaty and bounced off the opposite mountain, multiplying in echoes that reached from the valley to the peak where the kids were still running around. Zayn didn’t know what to do, so he simply observed the odd Irishman in front of him. Maybe he was still in shock and was hysterical, weren’t you supposed to slap hysterical people? He couldn’t remember his training. Luckily Niall stopped laughing before Zayn decided whether to slap him or not.

“Mate, you are a genius and I would gladly jump off this cliff again to save this drawing. I guess I know how you got your job. Really mate, I thought my memory was good but I think you just sketched a better picture than I can even think of” Niall said, still smiling.

Zayn smiled, looking down. “I am really bad at taking compliments Niall, but thanks.” He said, pocketing the picture and beginning to pack up his belongings. “I should get back, it’s getting dark.”

“Come back with me, we’re going to have a campfire up here, play some guitar, make s’mores. It’ll be a good night and I bet the kids would love it if you were there.” Niall gestured towards the peak, and when Zayn seemed hesitant, he simply grabbed the boy’s arm and practically dragged him with him.

By the time they were at the peak, the kids and Harry had already started a fire and were sharing stories from the week. Harry was the first to notice Zayn and he stood up and gave him a hug, surprising Niall. “Zayn! What are you doing up here? I figured you’d be hiding away in your cabin with all your sketchbooks by now. Come, sit here. Does everyone here know Zayn? He’s a frickin’ artist guys, you missed out if you didn’t meet this guy this week.”

Most of the kids started talking about how much they liked the project Zayn did with spray painted silhouettes of things they found around camp which caused Zayn to beam. Niall didn’t know if he should bring up the drawing that Zayn had made but the conversation had drifted towards past art counselors. Once they began comparing him to last year’s art counselor who disliked dirt and changed her socks twice a day because they felt dirty, Harry input his many years of experience at Montecito, declaring Zayn the best out of all of them.

Zayn blushed and didn’t say much during the conversation. Neither did Niall for that matter. Even though he pretended to be preoccupied with tuning his guitar, he was more curious as to how Harry and Zayn were so close. Niall rarely ever saw Zayn outside of the art room and when he was eating in the dining hall he was always in a rush, only exchanging a few words with whoever he sat next to. Niall put it out of his mind, reminding himself that his goal was to make some amazing camp memories for his kids, not contemplate his friend’s life.

With that, Niall stood up with a flourish, propped one foot on a log and began strumming his guitar dramatically. “I think it’s time for a little sing along don’t you think?!” He proclaimed while walking around the fire, weaving in and out of people gathered near the warmth. “Can I get a request? Yes, you with the eyes!”

A teenage girl by the name of Gina laughed, rolling said eyes and requested Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. After some fake grumbling by Niall about how “that’s not really a camp song” he began to play and everyone joined in singing. The night continued on until Niall glanced at his watch and cursed.

“We are so late! Everyone get your stuff, Harry put out the fire. WAIT I need my flashlight first! Ok, put out the fire. Do we have everyone? Alright Zayn? Back to camp!”

Zayn laughed, bringing up the rear of the group and nudged Harry, who had been by his side all night. “Is he always like this?”

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” Was his only reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only have a slight idea on how this will progress, each chapter will be a week of camp, whether I only mention a day or I write about every day. That's about all the structure I have...


	3. Chapter 3

 “Maybe when I die, I’ll get to be a car, driving in the night, lighting up the dark.”

Words carried on the wind reached Zayn through his window. He had just woken up, getting ready for kitchen duty. Since it was Sunday, there was only food to prepare for the counselors and a few weekend guests. Chaos would ensue for dinner though, when all the new families for the week wanted to eat. Zayn shook his head, dispelling his stress and turned around to wake up Harry.

“Wake up mate, we’ve got to get going. Hashbrowns don’t cook themselves.”

“Mmmmrprhm, I love it when you call me mate.” Harry mumbled while raising his head from his pillow. He shot Zayn a lazy wink and then stuck out his tongue. Rolling of his bunk, he somehow landed on his feet and got changed.

Zayn heard a few more faint words on the wind, and _was that a guitar he heard?_ Waving to Harry and whispering about meeting him in the main lodge, Zayn left the cabin quietly so as not to wake up their other roommate and made his way to the kitchen, looking around for the source of music on his way. _Who else would be up at 5 in the morning?_

Working in the kitchen was not difficult, and he wasn’t ashamed of it, but Zayn was so rarely around many of the other counselors that when he was he didn’t really bring it up. Yeah, Harry picked up the breakfast shift with him pretty regularly, but Harry was different.

Walking into his cabin on the first day, Zayn had dumped his bag on the twenty year old, not noticing him buried within his covers. He still didn’t notice that there was someone else in the cabin until his bag was thrown against his back, not roughly, but that was probably because the thrower was still half asleep.

Luckily Harry didn’t hold it against him. After some grumbling about terrible first impressions, they became fast friends. Harry used to be a camper at Montecito and had been a counselor ever since he was old enough to. He spent every summer at the camp as a child and now he lived there around the year. Zayn stuck with him, if only to be around someone who actually knew what was going on. It was helpful to be great friends with someone who knew the story behind everything, everyone’s name, and (this one was the most important) every word to the welcome song they were supposed to sing. Who knew a three minute song could be so difficult to memorize?

So Zayn believed Harry when he said that no one would think differently if they knew that Zayn worked in the kitchen. Almost everyone knew that Harry worked there and the only comments on it were mocking complaints that were never true because Harry was an amazing cook. It just hadn’t been brought up, se he didn’t know what to do when he found Louis sitting on the counter when he walked into the kitchen.

“Hey Zayn! Looking for something to eat too? Liam told me that the kitchens opened around this time but I guess they’re running late this morning. Looks like there’s some cereal though.” Louis said quickly.

Zayn couldn’t figure out how he was so awake this early in the morning, so he just said “I can fix you something Louis, just give me a moment,” and walked through the swinging doors that led to the store room. “What do you want?” He called behind him.

To his credit, Louis didn’t bat an eye, yelling an order of eggs and sausage back. “Didn’t know you worked in the kitchen,” he said once Zayn returned with ingredients for breakfast for Louis as well as a piece of toast for himself.

Zayn shrugged and turned on the burner on the massive stovetop meant for way more than eggs and sausage for one person. “People aren’t usually here at five in the morning, guess that’s really the only way to find out who works in here. Why are you up so early anyways?”

Louis shrugged at that and opened his mouth to say something else but at that moment Harry burst through the doors singing some 50’s love song and grabbing Zayn, spun around the room to the tune. He didn’t stop when he saw Louis either, instead he let Zayn get back to breakfast and dragged Louis off the counter he was sitting on, insisting that he _must_ have this dance. SO Zayn made breakfast while laughing at the two boy’s antics. He could get used to Sunday mornings like this.

When they were done, Louis looked to Zayn and batted his eyes dramatically. “Well thank you m’dear. I hate to ask this, but could you make me a couple more eggs to go? My roommate couldn’t sleep and was up all night; he’s the reason I’m up this morning actually. Was making too much noise.” While he was talking, Louis’s comedic expression turned to one of slight worry; the kind of face his mother used to make when he was working into the morning on one of his art projects, so Zayn just smiled and with an “of course” set to work again.

Harry quickly got to work on breakfast for the rest of the camp. Louis’s eyes went wide at the amount of eggs they used just for the counselors. “How is it even possible that we use that much food for one meal?! We aren’t animals!”

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” Said Harry as he turned to the stove. Zayn raised his eyebrow at the expression. Harry had said the same thing about Niall and he hadn’t known what to make of it. Maybe it was just something he said when he didn’t know what else to say, but Louis didn’t give up as easily as Zayn did. He kept pestering Harry with questions about the food they made, work in the kitchen, how it was _terrible_ that they had to get up this early, and then he moved on to asking about every little detail of Harry’s life. Most of it was familiar to Zayn (they had gotten close since they began working early together every morning), but some of the facts Louis pulled out of Harry in the time it took Zayn to make eggs was surprising.

“You wore a dress for a week when you lost a bet?!” Louis all but shrieked. Zayn could see the gears turning in his head, trying to find a way to recreate the situation again this summer. Harry just shrugged, “It wasn’t that bad. Pretty comfy actually.”

By this time, the extra eggs were done and Zayn sent Louis on his way. Louis kissed both of their cheeks, exclaiming that they were the best cooks this camp had ever seen. “How would you know?! This is your first year!” Harry yelled at his retreating back, while Zayn opened a large package of frozen hashbrowns, putting them in the oven to brown. Breakfast was done by 7:30.

\---------------------

Niall wandered around the lake, yawning, he looked up at the stars. It had been a long day. The new campers had come yesterday and many of them were musical, which he loved, but it also meant that they were always looking for Niall to play a tune with them or give some advice. He already had an unofficial favorite. A young boy, Aaron, who’s guitar was too big for him, but he played well and you could tell that he loved the music. Obviously, the boy reminded Niall of himself.

By this time, Niall was directly across from the camp and he could see the lights of the lodge reflected on the lake. Nothing was moving, and the only sound was made by the wind in the trees and a chorus of crickets hiding in the long grass on the side of the path. The sight of an approaching flashlight caught his eye and Niall waved his hand so whoever it was would see him.

“Niall! You surprised me!” the stranger exclaimed. Niall squinted his eyes in the bright light of the man’s flashlight. “Oh, sorry bud.” Said the man, lowering his flashlight.

“Hey Liam, didn’t see you there.” Niall joked, hiding another yawn in his arm.

A knowing look came on Liam’s face. “Long day Niall?” He said understandingly. Niall nodded a little sheepishly. He didn’t want to make it seem like he didn’t enjoy the work he was doing. Liam smiled at him though, “Niall, working here is a full time job. These kids love you in a second and they don’t want to let you go. Especially, you. I noticed your fan club last week, and it’s only going to get bigger this week. That’s something to be really proud of, but you have to pace yourself or you’re not going to have any fun and you’re going to end up letting someone down.”

Niall nodded, “Thanks Liam, I just feel like not giving all my time to these kids is letting them down!”

“I know Niall, but they’ll get over it pretty quick if you have to say no once or twice. There’s enough things to be doing around here. They’ll be off running around before you can even put down your guitar. Now, come on, let’s get back to camp.” Liam smiled and tugged Niall by the arm in the direction he was going.

Niall lightened up significantly after that, cracking jokes with Liam on their way back, promising to serenade him at the Open Mic Night they were going to have this week to repay him for his great advice. They continued talking until they reached Niall’s cabin.

“Thanks again Liam, don’t know what I’d do without ya!” Niall said with a cheery wave as he walked inside. He had expected Louis to still be awake, but the boy was wrapped up in his blankets facing the wall so Niall just turned off the lights and went to bed as well.

\---------------------

The week sped by quickly and both Niall and Zayn found themselves busier than ever. Zayn managed to make friends with one of the lifeguards, Mel, who loved painting and came into the art room when she didn’t have shifts. Zayn was happy that he had someone to talk to at dinner and soon he was getting to know some of the other counselors like Pat, who was pushing 50 but still led every hike out of camp, including the 10 mile climb every Friday, or Natalie who proclaimed herself queen of the horse girls and invited Zayn down to take a lesson whenever he wanted (Zayn was incredibly afraid of horses so he politely declined).

Niall was barely seen without his guitar. He made his home on the back porch of the lodge, overlooking a valley and invited people of all skill levels to come jam with him when he wasn’t giving lessons. Needless to say, a few of the girl counselors spent their lunches at the picnic tables outside, giggling and blushing when Niall invited them to come sing with him. In one week, he had charmed everyone that had come across his path.

\---------------------

The camp was at capacity and everyone was busy with activities the entire week so before anyone could stop and soak in the California sun, it was Thursday night and time for the Open Mic Night. Louis and Harry were announcing, entertaining the crowd with terrible puns about Harry’s mop of hair and pickup lines aimed at all the counselors, the majority of them to Liam, effectively ruining his professional expression.

Niall was almost permanently on stage, playing with or for various campers and counselors. He joined Josh in a cover of I’ll Be that probably made a girl or two faint. The talent was good, including a hilarious poem by a father of three who enjoyed poking fun at his kids’ antics, and a girl who performed an original song on piano. She got a standing ovation and the look on her face brought one to everyone else’s.

Zayn sat in the back of the room, squeezed between Pat and another counselor from England, Dom maybe? He was enjoying the atmosphere but didn’t say much. No one really bothered him and he just let himself sink into song after song. As the evening progressed, he felt his eyelids drooping, it had been a long day, he had to wake even earlier this morning to prepare lunches for those going on an all day hike and there were more kids this week than last week, but _one more day_ he kept reminding himself.

As it grew later, Louis and Harry announced the last act of the night, “So we highly doubt that you can guess who is going to play the last song of the night.” Began Louis, who had jumped on Harry’s back. Harry dropped him unceremoniously and laughed, “Yeah, he’s anything but a familiar face, and the last person you would ever expect to see at one of these things.”

“So without further ado,” they said simultaneously, “Niall Horan!”

The crowd laughed, along with Niall who ran onto the makeshift stage to a massive round of applause. “Well thanks guys, I guess I’ll have to participate a little more next week, because I want everyone to know that I really do love playing music,” Niall said with a wink. Everyone laughed again, but quickly grew quiet, wanting to hear what Niall would play.

“I figured I’d play something a little slower to end the night, it’s getting late, so what better way to say goodnight than a lullaby?” Niall smiled softly and began to sing.

It's okay,  
I don't even cry  
all I think about is a memory  
and the dream when you kissed my arm  
as I look away, don't hear what I say  
  
That maybe when I die,  
I'll get to be a car  
driving in the night  
lighting up the dark.  
something in your voice  
it sparks a little hope  
I'll wait up for that noise  
your voice become my home

Zayn raised his head from where he had been resting it on the table, letting the song wash over him. Niall had been the one he had heard before. The song was more beautiful then he remembered and he didn’t want to look away from the boy mesmerizing the whole room.

One way road, don't care what I find  
A little thunder's good, I thought maybe you would  
but it's okay, we all feel left out  
sometimes growing up, it can get you down.  
  
I give you something that no one's going to give you  
my sleepin' skin and my heart deep down in you  
I'll never tell you, but you're my little scar  
Goodbyes are hard and they're hard and they're hard  
  
Maybe when I die  
I'll get to be a car  
driving in the night  
Lighting up the dark  
Something in your voice,  
sparks a little hope  
I'll wait up for that noise  
your voice becomes my home

No one spoke when Niall was done, people clapped quietly but more people just looked as if they had just woken up from a dream. Louis and Harry said a few quiet words about everyone getting off to bed, and the room emptied quickly. A few people stuck around and told Niall that he was fantastic, that his voice was beautiful, but _that doesn’t do it justice_ Zayn thought.

Soon Zayn found himself the last one in the room besides Niall, Louis, and Harry who were cleaning up the last few things. The three boys weren’t as loud as they usually were, but it was late and Niall’s song had reminded them of their beds waiting for them. “The next time my little rascals won’t take their naps, I’m getting you,” said Louis referring to the small children he took care of during the week, after yawning widely.

Liam walked in at that moment, giving Louis a warm smile, “You look beat Louis, go to bed, you boys too, I’ll finish up here.” He took the dirty dishes out of Louis’ hands and nudged him towards the door with his hip. Louis gave him a grateful smile, slung his arm around Harry’s shoulder, trying to get him to carry him home. Harry obliged and the two boys left the main lodge.

“Is that me?” A tired voice asked, coming from behind Zayn. Niall sat down on the bench and leaned over to look at the napkin that was on the table. Zayn looked down at the closeup sketch of hands playing a guitar in front of him. He had almost forgotten that he had drawn it while listening to Niall playing for a small girl who sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

“Yeah, it’s you,” he said, ducking his head, slightly embarrassed. “You did so much for everyone, I kind of wanted to make sure you got something too. After that last performance though, I think you’ll be getting a lot of compliments, and possible marriage proposals tomorrow though.”

Niall laughed softly, tugging on Zayn’s sleeve lightly, ”Come on, let’s get back before Liam changes his mind and makes us clean more.”

Zayn followed him out the door, still holding the napkin. He felt like he should comment again on how good Niall was, how at peace and in his element he seemed up on stage. To be honest, he had been surprised at Niall’s choice of song. Throughout the week, he was loud and enthusiastic, greeting everyone with a bear hug and a laugh, what he sang tonight was the last thing Zayn expected.

“To be honest, my mum would love that drawing, if you wouldn’t mind me having it,” Niall stopped Zayn in front of his cabin.

Zayn looked down at the sketch and back at Niall, “If you’re going to give it to your mom, I’d rather give you one drawn on real paper. I’ll redraw it soon,” and with that he wished Niall and quiet goodnight and went inside. Harry was already asleep as well as their other roommate Caleb, so he didn’t worry about waking them up with the soft light from a small book light.

The next morning, Niall woke up to a manila envelope tossed on his head. “This was taped on the door for you,” said Louis as he left for breakfast. He opened it to find a beautiful drawing of his hands (they looked practically _graceful_ , how was that possible) strumming his guitar along with the napkin from last night.

Zayn had been right too, he received compliments from almost everyone at the camp the next day (and one marriage proposal from Harry), but the smile on his face was because of only one thing he had been given.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song I used is Land of Talk - It's Okay  
> Please listen to the song if you liked the lyrics, I think it is highly underrated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I suck at actually getting myself to write. More will come eventually, hopefully soon!

            Liam stood in front of the counselors waving his arms in a fashion that could only be described as bird-like. “Will everyone give me ten more minutes of their time for _god’s sake_?!” A few older counselors laughed while everyone quickly quieted down. It took a lot to get Liam to yell and the aftermath was almost never fun.

            “Finally, alright. So this week we have a lot less campers than last. It will be a nice break for everyone. Art, horseback riding, music, and biking are going to be limited this week but so you guys aren’t just sitting around with empty rooms and nothing to do, you’ll be floating during the times that you would normally be at your stations. Those of you that are lifeguard certified will be at the pool or the lake. The rest of you will be assigned to different stations or groups throughout the week. Check your schedule every morning.”

            Zayn sighed. This was when he really disliked his job. If he had stayed home, he could have been doing art the whole summer, and when there were lots of campers, he was doing art, even if it was indirectly. This week it sounded as if he would be lucky to touch a pencil.

            Harry noticed his friend’s slumped shoulders and he elbowed him with a laugh. “Don’t look so sad Z! Who knows, maybe you’ll get to spend the whole week with me at archery! You’ll get to see me every single day!”

            Zayn sent Harry an exasperated look, “I already see you every day mate, you live in my cabin. Honestly, I didn’t think it was possible to see more of you until now. Look at you, you’re permanently attached to me or something.” He said shrugging his shoulder drawing attention to the way Harry had draped himself over his friend.

            “I _love_ it when you call me mate.” Was Harry’s only response. Some of the counselors surrounding the two chuckled. It was true that Harry and Zayn were pretty inseparable, but everyone knew their friendship was mutual and Zayn was just kidding around. The room quickly emptied after Liam gave a few more reminders, “And Niall will you _please_ stop changing the words to our welcoming camp songs. You confuse everyone.”

            With a laugh, the blonde practically ran out of the room, heading towards the lake for a swim before campers began to arrive. Meanwhile, Zayn continued to mope about his lack of art this week. With his head rested on the table, he began to brainstorm what sickness he could use to get out of walking kids around the lake or something equally as boring. Maybe he could just work in the kitchen the whole week. Harry threw a pitying look at his friend and sidled over to Louis.

            “Look at him Louis! He’s going to hate this week. You know the only reason he’s here is for his art or something. All broody all the time, what an artist!” Harry raised his voice at the end, pointing his teasing words towards Zayn. All he got in return was a vague groan.

            Louis laughed at the reaction, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Even though he didn’t know the Englishman as well as Harry, we was well aware of how much he loved his art room. He had been sent multiple times by Liam to drag him out to make sure he ate lunch and it wasn’t an easy job, especially if he had a camper who loved art even half as much as him. Speaking of Liam…With a quiet “be right back” to Harry, Louis walked over to Liam on the other side of the room.

            With his head buried in his clipboard, mumbling incoherently about riding shows and wildflowers, Liam didn’t notice the other boy approach until he felt a small hand on his lower back. Startled, he fumbled his clipboard and looked around, only to be met with bright blue eyes and a soft smile. Smiling back, Liam quickly looked around the room and to his relief only saw Harry playing with Zayn’s hair in an attempt to get him to cheer up. It seemed to be having the opposite effect.

            Turning back to Louis, Liam smiled warmly and dropped the clipboard on a nearby table. “What’s up Louis?”

            “Don’t you ‘What’s up Louis’ me! Look at your friend over there! He looks miserable, there has to be something we can do. You know making him go canoeing and rock climbing and working with kids all week outside of the art room is going to make him insane!” Louis hissed to Liam’s surprise, not expecting such harsh words. Liam glanced over to Zayn again, this time noticing the slumped shoulders and his lack of fighting back against Harry's onslaught of now tickling. "The only reason he's here is because his family needs the money Liam. I mean, that doesn't mean he hates it here, but he only loves it because of the art. Zayn isn't made to go anywhere without a sketchbook, we all know that," Louis said, referencing Zayn's habit of bringing some sort of sketching medium and paper with him everywhere he went. If anyone knew anything about the art counselor, it was that he loved what he did, plain and simple.

            Liam turned back to Louis, circling his arms around his waist, “What do you propose we do?” he said sighing, “There’s no way we can keep the art room open all week, not enough people are going to come.”

            “Leave that to me.” Louis pinched Liam’s cheek and walked off to find one of his roommates. Ten minutes later he found the blonde sitting on the dock of the lake, chatting with one of the lifeguards, Mel. “Niall! Come help me with something!”

            Niall stood up and turned towards Louis, “With what? It’s too beautiful to go and do work Louis, and campers will be here in a couple hours, what do we need to do till then?” He made to sit back down next to Mel but Louis was at his side in an instant.

            “You and I need to find a way to let Zayn teach art all week, that’s what we need to do.” At his words, Mel stood up from her spot at the end of the dock and joined the two.

            “Right, art is getting cut back this week. Zayn’s a good friend of mine and his art is amazing, need another hand?” Louis grinned at the lifeguard, nodding enthusiastically and beginning to walk away, saying over his shoulder “come on then! We have no time to lose!”

            “Louis! Why can’t we sit on the dock and think? It’s perfect out here, you aren’t going to find better inspiration for art than next to the lake!” Niall stood at the end of the dock still, looking a little longingly at the lake. It was where he always came when he couldn’t work out his music, or was having a rough day with some of the kids, and he always found himself returning late at night when he couldn’t sleep, it’d work for solving this problem too.

            Louis glanced at Mel who shrugged, and the two joined Niall who happily resumed his old spot on the edge of the dock. He wiggled his toes underwater until little Bluegills came up and nibbled at his feet, giggling, he pulled his feet out of the water and sat back, leaning on his elbows. Louis and Mel looked on with amusement and copied his position. “It’s perfect out here isn’t it?” Niall asked, throwing his head back, seeming to bask in the sun. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget days like this.”

            Giggling, Mel stole Niall’s sunglasses and looked out over the water, with the most content expression on her face. “No, I don’t think I’ll forget much of this either, best days of our lives and all that. I should probably start taking more pictures though, just in case.” As she spoke, Mel pulled a camera out of her pocket and a napkin fell out as well, floating towards the water. With a small gasp, she reached after it and only the biggest amount of luck, a small gust of wind and Niall’s quick reflexes kept the napkin out of the water. Mel gave him the biggest hug possible, almost pushing the two into the water when he gave her the napkin.

            “Whoa there Mel, what’s so important about a little napkin? It’s not like I saved a kitten or something.”

            “No, you don’t understand. Here, look,” and Mel unfolded the napkin to show a sketch in pen of the pool with picturesque mountains in the distance. The detail was amazing but that wasn’t what made the drawing so beautiful. In the pool kids were laughing and playing, their parents sitting on the edge chatting amongst themselves, and in the middle was Mel, lifting a little girl on her shoulders, her sunglasses askew, and the biggest smile on her face. “Zayn drew it one day when he was at the pool with me. He can’t swim, you know, and he hates small talk, so he just sat in a corner with a bunch of napkins and pens and drew. The kids love him, the second they need to take a break, or if they prefer a little quieter atmosphere, they just go sit with Zayn and he’ll listen to what they say, but he’ll just sketch the whole time. He told me that when he has some more time, he’ll draw this for real, but I think I’ll still like this even more.”

            Niall smiled softly, “You’d be surprised, Zayn is an amazing artist. If you think this is amazing you should see…” He stopped suddenly, for some reason not wanting to share the art that Zayn had made for him, _for his mom_ , Niall corrected himself. “…see the art room, it’s beautiful.” Niall finished after a moment. “He always carries around some kind of sketchbook, even if art is cut down this week, Zayn’s won’t be, he’ll just draw everywhere anyways. I guess I would carry my guitar everywhere if I could though too”

            “Yeah, but Zayn is different than you Niall.” Louis said quietly. Niall and Mel looked at Louis quizzically, he wasn’t the kind to be quiet. “Harry knows him pretty well and he told me that Zayn has sisters back home. He knows how to work with kids, and they love him here too seeing he babysits at least half the camp every week, but the only time he gets excited about anything is when art is involved. He probably just draws with every kid until they fall asleep.”

            “I didn’t know that about him. Doesn’t he work in the kitchen too? How does he do it all?” Mel thought out loud. “Every time I go to visit him in the art room, he’s practically bouncing off the walls, everywhere at once. But his hair is never a mess, the fiend.”

            Niall laughed, “I don’t know how he does it, but then again I don’t know how he does this either,” he said, gesturing to the napkin in Mel’s hand. “I don’t think you need that camera Mel, I think you need Zayn to simply go everywhere with you and draw.”

            “I’ve got it!” Louis shouted, causing Mel to almost fall in the water for the second time. “Thanks guys! See you tonight!” Louis ran off while Niall and Mel shared a confused look.

            Niall didn’t dwell on his odd friend though, deciding that spending his time swimming in the lake would be better than trying to figure out what was going on in Louis’s head. While he floated on his back in the cool water, he couldn’t help but think about what Louis had said though. How _did_ Zayn do it all? He always seemed relaxed and happy, but from what he was told, it sounded like the camp would fall apart without Zayn.

            Niall was pulled out of his thoughts when Mel called him in to get ready for guest arrivals. People had been trickling in all day but the largest amount came in just before dinner. After everyone ate, the counselors would sing some songs, Liam would lay out the week for everyone and the kids would be split into their age groups and get to know each other while Liam told the parents, well Niall didn’t really know what Liam had to talk about, parental things?

            After taking a quick shower Niall joined Louis and Harry for dinner. “Where’s Zayn?” He tried to be casual, but after the conversation of the afternoon, Niall had realized how much his days depended on Zayn, from breakfast to babysitting kids after dinner so their parents could enjoy sunset hikes or wine on the deck. He counted up in his head after only two weeks how many kids had proudly shown him drawings and painted mugs and boats made out of bark that they had made with Zayn. It was a lot, probably the majority. Niall had been so lost in thought that he missed Harry’s response. “Sorry mate, what’d you say?”

            Harry laughed and playfully winked at Niall, “I almost love it when you call me mate as much as when Zayn does. He’s working in the kitchen tonight. One of the weekend staff got sick so he’s covering. No wonder the potatoes are extra heavenly tonight.”

            Niall just shrugged at the news, trying to be casual but he just added being on-call kitchen staff to the already immense list of things that Zayn did. He spent the rest of his meal trying to get Louis to tell the group what he had figured out this afternoon, to no avail. After everyone was finished eating he gathered the plates to bring them to the kitchen to cleaning just as Liam arrived to their table. “I never thought I would see the day that Niall would help clear a table. You feeling ok bud? Not trying to get out of helping Harry at archery this week are you?”

            “You saw right through me Liam, I was trying to earn some points with this lot here so they’d be happier about covering some shifts this week. Guess I’m out of luck, off to the kitchen then!” Niall made his escape as his friends laughed behind him and Liam took his spot next to Louis. Niall dumped the plates and silverware in bins next to some and walked through the double doors into the kitchen. He walked through to the oven room and…it was empty. Just as he was about to turn around and rejoin his friends, Zayn walked through a door at the other end of the room.

            “Niall? What are you doing here?” He said, wiping his hands on an apron tied around his waist. His hair was pushed back lazily and his blue uniform was rolled up haphazardly to his elbows.

            “Looking for you actually, you’re going to be late for camp opening tonight if you don’t hurry up! We start in forty five minutes and I don’t want to miss you mumbling the camp songs like you do every week.” Niall smirked. He knew there were some aspects to camp that Zayn found incredibly silly and Niall found that strangely adorable.

            “Don’t think I’ll be able to make it tonight mate, I’ve still got to clean a lot of dishes. I don’t know what Liam was talking about when he said we have less campers, they make enough of a mess!” Zayn said wearing a smile matching Niall’s, beginning to retreat back into the room he came from holding a bin full of dirty plates. “Normally someone else would be doing this but Ricky is sick and Jeremiah’s daughter had a piano recital he wanted to be able to see so I told him I’d take care of it.”

            Niall shook his head slightly, “Why isn’t there anything wrong with you? Here let me help you!” and without waiting for an answer, Niall picked up a bin full of cups and silverware and followed Zayn into a room full of sinks and racks. “I swear to god this camp couldn’t run without you!”

            Zayn laughed, “This camp has run for fifty years without me and it will carry on without me in the future! Thanks for the help mate, if you could dump that cutlery in the hot water over there and the cups over there that’d be perfect.” Zayn gestured to a couple sinks already filled with sudsy water.

            Niall unloaded his dishes and then joined Zayn cleaning plates. “I’m not kidding, I was talking to Harry, and you do it all. What’s wrong with just focusing on art and the kids for the summer?”

            “I’ve got to make sure I send enough money home for my mom. I’ve got a few sisters back home that have to eat to and I’m not there to cook for them! I definitely love the art the most.”

            “Could have fooled me. I thought you hated it. You avoid it at every chance you get,” Niall joked, flicking some water at Zayn. “If you ever need any help, you should let me know. I’d love to help you babysit some time or something.”

            “Oh, you know about the babysitting too huh? You checking up on me now Niall?” Zayn shot back smiling and dripping cold water down Niall’s back.

            “Oi! I take that back! No help for you!” And Niall filled a bowl with water and splashed it in Zayn’s face. His hair was ruined and the front of his shirt soaked. Niall froze, worried he had gone too far. Now Zayn would have to change and clean the kitchen on top of dishes, what a help. In his worrying, he didn’t notice Zayn turning on one of the commercial sink hoses. He did notice when he was soaked from head to toe while Zayn simply smirked.

            “It’s on.”

            Ten minutes later, the two boys were running back to their cabins like maniacs to get dry clothes before opening. Laughing out loud and playfully pushing each other, they raced across camp blaming the other for being late. Niall followed Zayn into his cabin where a clean camp shirt and basketball shorts were thrown to him.

            “We’ve got fifteen minutes, so no rush, but it’d probably take too long for you to go back to your cabin and find clothes.” Zayn quickly stripped out of his wet clothes, black slacks giving him a little trouble around his ankles as the wet fabric pooled on the floor tripping him. Zayn fell right into Niall while he was pulling a dry shirt over his head, effectively knocking them both over. They laid on the floor laughing for a minute and then just laying in a peaceful silence before Niall looked over to Zayn’s wall above his bunk.

            “I keep forgetting that you’re a talented artist on top of everything else.” Niall said softly, untangling himself from Zayn and lightly touching a detailed drawing of a campfire. “How in the world do you make fire look like it’s dancing?”

            “Art is the first thing I want to do when I wake up and the last thing I want to do before I fall asleep. Sometimes it’s like a mosquito bite, I don’t notice it until I accidently notice it, and then it’s all I can concentrate on. Other times it’s more peaceful, I’ll just simply notice special things about my day, but instead of just remembering them, I want to capture them. I drew that at the last campfire before camp started. When everyone _was_ dancing around the campfire.” Zayn walked up next to Niall pointing at a shadow in the background of the picture, “That’s you, playing some version of the Macarena or something.”

            “No wonder the kids love you, you know exactly what to tell someone to make them feel important. You should be a teacher, an art teacher of course. When you aren’t being a famous artist of course. Only if you want to of course.” Niall added, feeling awkward. Who was he to tell Zayn what he should be?

            “You may be right Niall, the only thing that helps if I can’t draw myself is helping someone else find that talent within themselves. Anyone can make some sort of art, and when you’re here, well it’s hard not to be inspired!” Zayn chuckled, gesturing the art plastered all over his wall. “Now come on! We’re going to be late!” The boys walked back to the lodge in silence, each mulling over what the other had said.

            Liam stood in front of the crowd of parents, kids and counselors alike in one room of the lodge. “Welcome everyone to Montecito Lodge in the beautiful Sequoia National Forest! We’re so excited to have you here and we hope that you all have an amazing week here with us. Just a few small things to tell you how your week here will work. Kids, you’ll be broken up into age groups and you guys will have a couple counselors with you to bring you around to all of our activities to make sure you can try everything you want to. Parents, well, do whatever you want! Everything is taken care of. No cooking, no planning, nothing, go on hikes with your kids, horseback riding, archery, sailing, learn some guitar, anything you want!

            Also, for a surprise this week, we’re going to have a special art component. We’re extremely lucky to have an incredibly talented arts and crafts counselor all the way from England this year! Normally, when we have smaller groups like we do this week, extra programs like art get cut down a little but this week, we’re trying something a little different. Every day, art will be tied into a different activity around camp, ending with a sunset art class on top of Mt. Baldy on Friday evening. For those who don’t know, Mt. Baldy is a quick hike out of camp and has an amazing view of some of the valleys of Sequoia National Forest.

            We really hope you all are excited about reflecting the beauty of the nature we’re surrounded by into your art and having fun with our creative ways to make art of that very same nature!” Liam glanced Zayn’s way for the first time during his description and what he saw made him smile brighter than ever, “Though I don’t think any of your are as excited as Zayn here is.”

            At Liam’s first sentence, the arm he had slung around Niall’s shoulder had stiffed and then tightened. Now Zayn had removed it to clasp both his hands in front of himself as he tried to contain his excitement. He wasn’t only excited though, he was ecstatic. This, _this_ , was exactly what he wanted to do. Show people that they could capture the beauty of the nature around them. A constant reminder of the great times people had at Montecito and the amazing place those memories were made. He has never looked happier, thought Niall. Never had Zayn looked so energetic and _vivid_. He looked as if was to burst into song and explode with color, and when Niall picked up the guitar and lead the opening songs, Zayn wasn’t mumbling, he was singing and dancing along with everyone else.

            Everything sped up after that. The kids were introduced into their age groups and introduced to each other. Niall didn’t get a chance to talk to Zayn before going to bed, but he saw him talking to Liam earnestly after the campers had left the lodge. Liam was nodding his head and smiling and then, unexpectedly, Zayn threw his arms around Liam, giving him the warmest hug he could muster.

            Words drifted on a summer breeze. “I won’t let you down. I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any of the One Direction boys (sadly) but Montecito is a real place, just using it for a setting.
> 
> First fic I've ever written and I didn't really plan on writing...I just wanted to see this story out there and after giving it as a prompt a few times and nothing happening. This happened? Please help me out! Good? Bad? Just plain Ugly? Let me know ^_^


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